Research into the sustainability of age-friendly initiatives is important and timely, particularly from the rather neglected perspective of older adults living in non-metropolitan (rural) environments. This paper addresses this gap by reporting on a Canadian rural community case study to understand the perspectives of older adults on the implementation and sustainability of their local age-friendly program. Findings from exploratory interviews with 10 older adults suggest that rural age-friendly initiatives may be limited in their ability to achieve larger-scale outcomes aimed at addressing broad aging issues facing rural communities. Further, our findings demonstrate that those ‘aging in place’ may continue to do so with the support of age-friendly programing, while those ‘stuck in place’ are largely unaffected by age-friendly programs. We advocate for additional in-depth examinations of rural age-friendly sustainability, including a greater emphasis on the diversity of older adult perspectives. •Rural communities are hindered in their ability to implement larger-scale initiatives aimed at addressing aging issues.•Older adult perspectives provide insight into the scope, reach and sustainability of rural age-friendly programs.•Older adults' experience with age-friendly programs are influenced by their life course and the dynamic of their community.•Older adults ‘aging in place’ are supported by age-friendly programing, while those ‘stuck in place’ are largely unaffected by those programs.